Officials investigating TB exposure at SW Missouri packing plants

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) -- Health investigators probing two cases of tuberculosis at southwest Missouri packing plants say their efforts have been hampered by patient confidentiality laws.

The cases were reported at the Smithfield Foods plant, formerly owned by ConAgra, in Carthage and at an undisclosed plant in Joplin.

The Jasper County Health Department confirmed the case at the Smithfield plant after workers there gave media interviews.

Dan Pekarek, director of the Joplin Health Department, said he understands that not naming the Joplin plant would cause workers at all of the city's plants to worry. However, he said, patient confidentiality takes precedence.

"The people in the plant have been notified," he said. "The people who need to be notified of the case have been notified. It is a limitation we have to work with that makes it hard on us to do a TB contact investigation."

It would be easier, Pekarek said, if officials could name the people who have contracted the bacterial disease, and where they work, and ask people who have had contact with those people to contact the city or Jasper County health departments.

"We are very limited about the amount and extent of information we can put out there to the public given confidentiality," he said. "The general public is not notified because it is not at risk. We notify those at risk."

Pekarek said some people at the Joplin plant have already been tested, and skin tests will be set up for next week for fewer than 20 others. The list of those potentially exposed appears to be limited to the man's family and co-workers, he said.

Tony Moehr, director of the Jasper County Health Department, said about 40 people who worked with the Carthage patient have had skin tests that will be read Monday.

Both patients are being treated with antibiotics, and anyone who tests positive for exposure will also be treated.

The worker at the Carthage plant was born outside the United States, Moehr said, as were a number of his co-workers. Moehr said he expects several of them to test positive because they likely were exposed before coming into the country.

Last fall, there was a case of tuberculosis involving a foreign-born student at Missouri Southern State University.

"It's an increase, no doubt," said Moehr. "There are trends for any disease. You have peaks and valleys. It is not clear yet whether these cases truly reflect an increase. That's questionable at this point.

"It is higher than what we would expect to see in a normal year. It could drop back down to two cases next year," he said.

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Information from: The Joplin Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com